What can qualitative research tell us? This more advanced course covers the transition from interpretive analysis to writing up qualitative findings, showing how key themes can be extrapolated to form the structure of a written piece. It reviews different styles of writing, for different audiences, and includes examples from both academic and applied research. It is essential that participants are already familiar with the principles and practice of thematic analysis, including data management and categorisation, or have attended the SRA qualitative analysis course. Without this foundation, participants will not get the full benefit of the day.

Focusing on developing explanations, drawing conclusions and writing up qualitative research findings, the course includes:

explanation in qualitative research

distillation of key themes and conclusions

the challenge of qualitative reporting

displaying qualitative evidence

reviewing examples of qualitative writing.

Objectives

to build on participants existing experience of analyzing qualitative data

to show how main themes can be identified and conclusions drawn

to demonstrate different ways of making and illustrating qualitative arguments

to examine and review different styles and conventions in the presentation of qualitative findings

Course tutor

Liz Spencer is a Sociologist and a Fellow of both the Academy of Social Sciences and the Royal Society of Arts, who has specialised in qualitative methods since 1973. She has held research posts at a number of British universities, including the London School of Economics, The London Graduate School of Business Studies, The University of Kent and the University of Essex, and was a Research Director at the National Centre for Social Research. She teaches a range of short courses for the Social Research Association and for the Universities of Hong Kong, Fribourg, Aberdeen and Essex, and has been a Visiting Professor at the Institute for Higher Studies in Vienna.

Currently Liz is an independent research consultant and partner in Q2 training Complete. Her recent publications include Rethinking Friendship: Hidden Solidarities Today; chapters in Qualitative Research Practice (Ritchie et al 2013), and a report for the Cabinet Office on judging the quality of qualitative research and evaluation. Together with Jane Ritchie, she pioneered ‘Framework’, a matrix-based approach to data management and display.